Monday, January 31, 2011

Job 40:6-42:17

God describes Leviathan - very scary, no way to attack this sea creature than can overthrow it.  I tried finding an appropriate picture on Google images.  The images there didn't look Biblically inspired.

Anyway, without God, our leviathan of sin will overcome us and destroy us.  Leviathan is king over all children of pride.  We so need to be into God and His Word, and to not judge His judgments.

So, Job repented and God accepted is repentance.  He spoke judgment on Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, because they did not speak edification of God.  He told them to bring a sacrifice to Job.  He forgave them when Job prayed for them.

Job is restored with double his properties.  He is given 10 more children, 7 sons and 3 beautiful daughters.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Job 38-40:5 - The Lord answers Job out of a whirlwind!

Where were you when........

Oh, that we would not exalt ourselves and question God!

Woo Hoo Elihu!

Job 32-34:37

Wow!  I have been reading Job and his friends telling him how he must have done something bad and he was being judged because everything was taken away from him, and how Job was justifying himself because he was righteous in "his own eyes" (don't we do that!),  and Elihu was upset because he was justifying himself instead of God.

He had waited to speak because he was younger than them.

Job 35-37:24

Elihu condemns Job's self-righteousness.  God does His awesome mighty works, the rain clouds, He breathes on water and it becomes frozen.

God will not listen to empty talk.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Job continues

Have been reading Job all week, and his friends are just telling him how much he has sinned and that is why God has abandoned him and his surroundings.

The best I can do is copy the song that is made from some of his words:

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And in the end He will
stand on the earth.
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And in the end He will
reign on the earth.
Though my flesh it be destroyed,
Yet with my eyes, I will see God.
CHORUS
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And I will stand with Him on that day.
For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And I will stand with Him on that day.
How my heart it yearns within me,
For the day when Jesus returns.
How my heart it yearns within me,
For the day when Jesus shall reign.
Though my flesh it be destroyed,
Yet with my eyes, I will see God.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Job 5-7:21

Eliphaz: Job Is Chastened by God

Job: My Complaint Is Just

hmmmmm, lotsa words, God is good.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Job 1-4:21

Ahhhhh, Job. 

Job is a man after God's own heart.  He is blessed greatly with children, flocks and herds, and a very large household.  He prayed over his children frequently in case they would have sin in their hearts.

One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan was among them.  God asks him what he is doing.  You know Satan, he is just out wandering about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may kill, maim, or destroy.  Anyway that isn't exactly what he said to God.  But God asked him if he had considered Job and Satan says he didn't because God had built a hedge about him.

So God gives him permission to "touch" all that he has, but not Job.  So, the day came when servant after servant comes to Job to tell him that all is gone - the children and the flocks and herds. 

Job cries out, naked I came to the earth, naked I go out, Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Another day the sons of God came to present themselves efore the Lord and Satan was among them.  God says to him - "what now?"  Satan still wants more of Job.  So God tells him he can strike his body but cannot kill him.

So, he has boils on his body from his toes to the top of his head.  He breaks a pot of clay so he can use one of the pieces to scrap his boils.

His wife tells him to curse God and die.  Job tells her that God is to be worshiped in the good and the bad.

His friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar come over to mourn with him in ashes.

Job mourns the day he is born.

Eliphaz speaks:  says Job has sinned

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Genesis 47:28-50:26

Jacob lives for another 17 years - he was ready to die after seeing Joseph, but God gave him many more years to enjoy his company.

So Jacob blesses Joseph's 2 sons.  Joseph is unhappy that he chooses Ephraim for the better blessing and tries to move his hands, but Jacob says he knows what God wants and leaves them there.

Jacob gives the blessings to his sons - I am copying this:

2 “Come and listen, you sons of Jacob;
      listen to Israel, your father.
 3 “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength,
      the child of my vigorous youth.
      You are first in rank and first in power.
 4 But you are as unruly as a flood,
      and you will be first no longer.
   For you went to bed with my wife;
      you defiled my marriage couch.
 5 “Simeon and Levi are two of a kind;
      their weapons are instruments of violence.
 6 May I never join in their meetings;
      may I never be a party to their plans.
   For in their anger they murdered men,
      and they crippled oxen just for sport.
 7 A curse on their anger, for it is fierce;
      a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel.
   I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob;
      I will disperse them throughout Israel.
 8 “Judah, your brothers will praise you.
      You will grasp your enemies by the neck.
      All your relatives will bow before you.
 9 Judah, my son, is a young lion
      that has finished eating its prey.
   Like a lion he crouches and lies down;
      like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
      nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants,[g]
   until the coming of the one to whom it belongs,[h]
      the one whom all nations will honor.
 11 He ties his foal to a grapevine,
      the colt of his donkey to a choice vine.
   He washes his clothes in wine,
      his robes in the blood of grapes.
 12 His eyes are darker than wine,
      and his teeth are whiter than milk.
 13 “Zebulun will settle by the seashore
      and will be a harbor for ships;
      his borders will extend to Sidon.
 14 “Issachar is a sturdy donkey,
      resting between two saddlepacks.[i]
 15 When he sees how good the countryside is
      and how pleasant the land,
   he will bend his shoulder to the load
      and submit himself to hard labor.
 16 “Dan will govern his people,
      like any other tribe in Israel.
 17 Dan will be a snake beside the road,
      a poisonous viper along the path
   that bites the horse’s hooves
      so its rider is thrown off.
 18 I trust in you for salvation, O Lord!
 19 “Gad will be attacked by marauding bands,
      but he will attack them when they retreat.
 20 “Asher will dine on rich foods
      and produce food fit for kings.
 21 “Naphtali is a doe set free
      that bears beautiful fawns.
 22 “Joseph is the foal of a wild donkey,
      the foal of a wild donkey at a spring—
      one of the wild donkeys on the ridge.[j]
 23 Archers attacked him savagely;
      they shot at him and harassed him.
 24 But his bow remained taut,
      and his arms were strengthened
   by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,
      by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.
 25 May the God of your father help you;
      May the Almighty bless you
   with the blessings of the heavens above,
      and blessings of the watery depths below,
      and blessings of the breasts and womb.
 26 May the blessings of your father
      surpass the blessings of the ancient mountains,[k]
      reaching to the heights of the eternal hills.
   May these blessings rest on the head of Joseph,
      who is a prince among his brothers.
 27 “Benjamin is a ravenous wolf,
      devouring his enemies in the morning
      and dividing his plunder in the evening.”

Then he dies and there is a period of mourning and Joseph asks permission to take Jacob (Israel) to the burial place where Abraham and Isaac are burried.  Pharoah grants permission and sends high level people with him to support the wish.

After that has taken place, Joseph's brothers get all afraid and think he is going to take out punishment on them for what he did to them.  Once again he lets them know that what they did for bad, God turned out for good. 

Joseph dies at 110 and they place his body in a coffin in Egypt and he asks his brothers that if they ever leave to take his bones with them.

Genesis 45:16-47:27

Pharoah invites Jacob to Egypt.  Joseph tells about his father and brothers in Canaan and how they will die if they don't come to Egypt and Pharoah supplies wagons and animals and food that they will need for the trip.

Jacob can't believe it when he is told that Joseph is alive and well.

They come back with all their families and herds and Pharoah meets all.

They are given the land of Goshen because Egyptians hate sheepherders and Pharoah says they can take care of his animals also.

The famine is so great that people run out of money and animals and finally sell their land to Joseph for Pharoah, and they become slaves.  Joseph tells them to plant seed and give 1/5th to Pharoah for the storehouse and the rest is for them to use as food and more seed.

Everyone does this except the priests because they receive what they need. 

Jacob and his family and herds in Goshen are fruitful and multiply.

Genesis 42-45:15

Jacob's sons go to Egypt because the famine has affected them.  He recognizes them but they do not recognize him.  He accuses them of coming to spy on Egypt, twice.  They deny it and keep giving information on the size of the family and how they are starving.  He puts them in prison for 3 days.

When the 3 days are up, he brings them out and says one of them must stay in prison while the others are released with grain for their starving families and they must go home and bring the youngest back. 

He keeps Simeon back.  They speak among themselves how God is judging them because of what they did to Joseph.  Joseph understands them because he had been using an interpreter.

So, the grain is placed in bags for them and Joseph tells the men to put their money back in their bags too.  Isn't that awesome! 

So the brothers find the money and are really freaked out because now they think he will come after them for stealing the grain. 

They get home and tell dad that the "governor" wants them to bring Benjamin back before he will sell them anymore grain.  Jacob isn't happy.

It's a powerful story of God's redemption.  God orchestrates circumstances for the good of His People. 

Genesis 40:1-23; Genesis 35:28-29; Genesis 41:1-57

Wow, better get going on this - this is Saturday's reading!!  I read it, just didn't blog it.

Joseph interprets 2 dreams.  Pharoah's baker and cup bearer made him mad, so he threw them into prison with Joseph for "quite some time."  Never make a Pharoah mad!  He has ways!  Anyway, they both dreamed disturbing dreams on the same night and found out that Joseph interprets dreams, so, they asked him.

The cup bearer interpretation was that he would be out of prison and restored in 3 days.

The baker would also be out of prison in 3 days, but he would be killed, ewwwww, I'll bet that spoiled his day!

Three days later, the dreams came true, and Joseph asked the cup bearer to remember him to the Pharoah.  Of course he forgot until 2 years later when Pharoah had 2 dreams needing interpretation.

Isaac lived to be 180 years and died.

Joseph is asked to interpret the dreams.  There will be 7 years of abundant crops followed by 7 years of famine.  He tells Pharoah to appoint someone to manage the abundance so there will be food during the famine.  Pharoah appoints him!  He is second in the kingdom.

Pharoah gives him a wife.  He has two sons - Manasseh and Ephraim

The abundant years are over and the store houses are opened up as the famine begins.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Genesis 36:1-19; 1 Chronicles 1:35-37; Genesis 36:20-30; 1 Chronicles 1:38-42; Genesis 36:31-43; 1 Chronicles 1:43-2:2

Woohoo, went to work Thursday, and Friday!  Sooooo, I didn't get up early enough to read those daily readings.  Well, I'll try to catch up this weekend.  I don't like to miss the Word of God, and need to get up earlier!  I need the Word of God daily before I go out for the day's activities.  Scott starts work on Monday, Hallelujah!  I have to ride the bus on the holiday schedule, oh what fun it is to ride on a one horse open sleigh!  Please pray for Cindy and Payton.

Geneology of Esau - Edomites

The ons of Israel - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher

Genesis 37-38:30; 1 Chronicles 2:3-6; 1 Chronicles 2:8; Genesis 39:1-23 - Friday's reading

Israel (Jacob) is dwelling in Canaan.  He loves Joseph more than his other sons and makes him a coat of many colors.  His brothers hated him - Dad likes you better! 

Joseph had a dream where his brothers would bow down to him - they hated him more!

Joseph dreamed again and his whole family would bow to him - his father rebuked him, and his brothers envied him (envy / hatred / envy / hatred - kinda gnaws at ya, huh).

Joseph's brothers are herding sheep and Israel sends him to find them to see if all is well.  A man finds Joseph wandering in a field (dreamers wander, can ya say amen).

His brothers see him coming and conspire to kill him.  Rueben talks them out of it - saying to cast him into a pit (he wanted to rescue him and take him back to his father.)  So the brothers ripped his coat off, threw him in a pit, and sat down to have some lunch.  All that hard work made them hungry!



Then they saw some Ishmaelites going by on a caravan going to Egypt with gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Then Midianite traders passed by and they sold Joseph to them, they sold Joseph to Potipher in Egypt for 20 pieces of silver.

Judah and Tamar

Judah goes off on his own and marries a Canaanite and has children.  One of his sons, Er marries Tamar. Er is wicked and God kills him.  Onan, Judah's second son, is given Tamar to continue the line of Er, and he knows the child won't be his heir, so he lets his "seed" go on the ground.  God kills him too. 

God doesn't take wickedness lightly!

So, Tamar is asked to stay in Judah's house until his youngest son gets older.  Judah's wife dies, so he goes to visit a friend.   Tamar dresses up like a harlot, he sees her, goes to bed with her, she gets pregnant, and his servants finally find out who she is.  He realizes he did not give his last son to her and says she is more righteous than him.  She has twins Perez and Zerah.  Zerah stuck his hand out first and the midwife put a string on the wrist, then the hand goes back in and Perez comes out first.  Zerah is still considered the firstborn.


Joseph gets sold into slavery.

Joseph is sold to Potiphar and God has favor on him.  He is promoted to second in Potiphar's house. Potiphar's wife is hot for him.  She keeps trying to get him to sleep with her.  He keeps telling her that he will not defile God by doing that.  One day she gets him in the house with no ther witnesses and once again tries to get him in bed.  He runs out of the house and she gets part of his robe and accuses him of rape when Potiphar gets home.  Potiphar throws him in prison. 



God gives him favor with the jailer too, hallelujah!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Genesis 32-35:27

Woohoo, might go to work tomorrow.  I know I said that yesterday.  It's a different job, working for a coding company.  They have to receive the work and then it has to be loaded into the system before they call people into work.  Receiving and loading depends on FedEx or whoever the client shipped it by, and then the IT department has to load the documents and that depends on the cooperation of the CDs wanting to be extracted and the computer system wanting to be loaded and viewed.  We may go later today, probably tomorrow, ,,,,, or not.  Anyway, it's a hallelujah day, I had the miracle of waking up another day.

So, let's see what the Word of God has for me today.  I just pray most of all to seek His face and sit in His lap and His arms be wrapped around me, hallelujah.

Esau meets Jacob

Esau is coming to meet Jacob with 400 men.  Jacob is afraid, even though the Lord told him He would deal well with him when he moved back to his homeland.  He divided his herds, etc into two groups so if Esau attacked one of them, the other would escape and survive.  Then he sends gifts to Esau in herds, having his servants ahead of him.



Jacob wrestles with God.  After he sent his wives and children and what he had over the ford ahead of him, and he wrestled with a Man.  And when the Man saw that He did not prevail, He touched the hollow of Jacob's hip and he limped the rest of his life.  The Man told Jacob to let Him go because day was breaking and  Jacob said he wouldn't unless He blessed him.  So, Jacob called the place Peniel.

   God changes Jacob's name to Israel.

They meet Esau and have a wonderful reunion.  Esau says he will guide them and Jacob says he will be ok and wants to progress slowly because of young animals and children.

They settle outside a town and Dinah is out looking around.  A man from the town finds her, falls in love and violates her and takes her home, and wants to marry her. 

Jacob hears about it and stays silent until his sons came in with the livestock.  Hamor (from the town) wants them to intermarry and be at peace.  Simeon and Levi and the rest of the boys are livid because they don't intermarry.  So, since Dinah has been defiled, they get back at them by telling Hamor's family that unless everyone is circumcised that cannot happen.  So all the men in the town get circumcised, and three days later when they are all in pain, Simeon and Levi go in and kill them all, take their women and children, and all they have, plus their sister.  Jacob is upset at this, and they said, "Should our sister be treated like a harlot?"

Jacob, et al, return to Bethel, Rebekah's nurse dies.

Rebekah dies in childbirth to Benjamin.

Reuben defiles Israel by sleeping with his concubine.

Isaac dies at Mamre after Jacob (Israel) comes to his side.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Genesis 30:25-31:55

Getting better, might go to work tomorrow, hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!  Scott started a 3 week computer class which he really needs.  He got a certificate of completion in mousing yesterday!

 It is wonderful to see someone learning the computer.  I finished reading "The God Chasers" yesterday and started reading it again.  Lord, I long to see Your face, to dwell in Your presence in repentance and brokenness.  I run up the mountain that You are decending to meet me.

Jacob cuts a deal with Laban - two deceivers, and how God "works" with them.  Isn't it awesome that God takes us where we are and "kneads and shapes".  I can't wait to get to heaven to see "what's really going on" up there.

Jacob's agreement with Laban - Rachel asks Jacob to take the family away from Laban.  Laban doesn't want them to go because ever since Jacob has been there, God was with him and blessed Laban's flocks.  Jacob agrees to stay and his wages will be the spotted and speckled goats and sheep and Laban kept the solid colored animals.  Jacob is "inspired" to create spotted and speckled animals and uses the strong ones to further his flock, and the weaker ones are not used but are left solid colors and to be in Laban's flock.  Laban's sons figure this out and let Laban know what Jacob is doing. 

   awwwwwwww.

Jacob hears them talking to Laban and sees his countenance it was not favorable as it had been before.   God tells Jacob to return to the land of his fathers and He will deal with Laban.  Yah, that's it, I want God on my side!  Hallelujah.  Laban had changed his wages many times over the last 20 years, and Jacob had continued to be his servant.  How long did he plan to be that way?  We plan to be that way until we "are encouraged" to change our ways by the Most High Living God, that's how long!

Laban pursues Jacob - Rachel had taken some idols from the house, Jacob didn't know it, Laban didn't know who it was, Jacob says whoever stole them can't live because that wasn't right.  Laban doesn't find them.  But, Jacob gets in Laban's face about never taking away from his flock even thought there were diseased and lame and bad weather and animals - all things that occur when in charge of flocks and how he bore the cost of it and did not eat of any of his flock. 

Laban and Jacob make a covenant - Laban doesn't want Jacob to have any other wives but his daughters, Jacob agrees.  Even though there was no man to hear the agreement, God heard the agreement, and they set a "heap and a pillar" in that place.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Genesis 28:6-30:24

Praise God, I realized we are solvent for another month, hallelujah.  Church was awesome yesterday.  The Bible study video series we are seeing is about the Joseph's life - from Dream to Destiny.  Got to see Tom and Chrissy and Sammy and Tom preached - anointed sermon about mammon.  Choose you today whom you will serve, wowwwwww.  It's all God's, it's all about stewardship.  We all have two lives, we better get the first one right so we will be able to enjoy the second one!  Hallelujah!

Esau saw that Jacob wasn't going to marry any wives in Canaan and that his parents weren't happy with the wives he already had, so he goes to Ishmael's camp and marries one of his daughters.  Wow, just keep that rebellion thing going.

Jacob is on his way to Haran and he stops for the night.  The Lord comes to him in a dream.
  This is the only photo/painting that appears to have male angels.  Any way, in the dream, the angels of God were ascending and descending the ladder and the the Lord stood above it.  God spoke the blessing that He would give him descendants as far as he could see in each direction, and that He would never leave nor forsake (abandon) him.  Jacob wakes up and says how awesome the Lord is and that if what He says comes to pass, he will return and give a 10th as an offering to God.


Jacob goes on toward Haran and sees Rachel and is immediately smitten!  She is Laban's daughter, and that is the destination of Jacob.
  He finds out who she is and kisses her and tells her who he is.  She runs home to tell papa.  Jacob works seven years for Rachel to take as his wife, and when he wakes up in the morning it is Leah her older sister!  The firstborn must be wed first.  Rachel is secondborn.  Jacob doesn't much more than tolerate Leah.  What I want to know is, why didn't he know who he was in bed with?????? 

Anyway, Laban didn't tell him the truth - the deceiver gets deceived and Jacob gets to work another seven years for the woman he really loves.

God sees that Leah is not loved so he opens her womb and she bears Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, each time hoping that Jacob will love her because she is bearing him sons.  Rachel is barren.

Rachel gives him her maid Bilhah and Dan and Naphtali are born.

Leah gives him her maid Zilpah and Gad and Asher are born.

Reuben gives Leah some mandrakes (looks like some kind of fertility thing) and she gives birth to Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah.

God remembers Rachel, she gives birth to Joseph and says that God will add to her another son.

Sunday morning's sermon told of infertility in Sarah, Rachel, and I don't remember the other one, but He opened up their wombs to bless them because of their faithfulness.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Genesis 25:27-28:5

Good morning, I can breathe, Hallelujah!  Scott went to the big Glendale Glitter and Glow with several men from TLC and they all had a great time.  He said there was a guy there with a beautiful white wolf, a huge hot air balloon of a polar bear, and tons of people.  They spoke to lots of open people about Jesus.  He said there will be at least 7 coming to church tomorrow from TLC.  His ministry there is truly blossoming!  Pastor Rens had a Men's Discipleship yesterday morning and has encouraging plans for Glendale that God has spoken to him.  Pray for our church, that God uses it mightily as we pray for His Presence with brokenness and repentance, hallelujah. 

Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of stew.
     We must remember that just because we are hungry for "something" that we don't turn our back on God's promises.  They will go to someone else.

Isaac and Abimelech - once again it's the sister thing!  Isaac tells Abimelech that Rebekah is his sister and he sees them acting in "endearment". 

Esau takes two wives which are a "grief of mind" to Isaac and Rebekah.

Isaac is getting ready to die and he asks Esau for some stew so he goes out hunting. Rebekah disguises Jacob as Esau and he gives the stew to Isaac who blesses him. 



Esau comes in and when he finds out his blessing has been stolen, he is very upset.

Rebekah tells Jacob to go to Laban to escape.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

January 8 Bible reading - I guess it was too long for the Subject Line....

Genesis 25:1-4; 1 Chronicles 1:32-33; Genesis 25:5-6; Genesis 25:12-18; 1 Chronicles 1:28-31; 1 Chronicles 1:34; Genesis 25:19-26; Genesis 25:7-11

Good morning, still a little under the weather, but on the road to recovery.  Scott is off to a Men's Discipleship, prayer, outreach, and the TLC to blow up a tire (I guess inflate is the word) and get the vehicle washed.  Busy day for him.  I'm gonna hibernate again.  Man, tonight is the big display downtown with hot air balloons and what people think is having a good time and I'm gonna miss it.  Oh, well, I'll be praying for God's presence and for open hearts to repent and be broken.  We need revival in our nation/world.  Man's heart is deceitfully wicked and growing cold.  Thank you Lord Jesus that You chose me while I was yet a sinner.

Geneaology of Keturah - Abraham's concubine, and Ishmael.

Birth of Esau and Israel (Jacob) - Esau was born first, Jacob had his hand on his heel when they were born.

Abraham dies and he is buried with Sarah at Machpelah.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Genesis 21:8-23:20; Genesis 11:32; Genesis 24:1-67

Good morning, sick still, but God is good, still. My Redeemer Lives is going on in my head, over the buzzing from my brain, praise God! We got some news in the mail yesterday that has totally left us pretty much broke for the next 2 months, but, I'm believing in God that He will orchestrate circumstances - He is never early, He is never late, He is ALWAYS on time. I continue to seek His face and presence. We cannot see God and live, however His definitition of death is being repentant and have a broken spirit. Well, I'm there and have been praying this ever since I started reading "The God Chasers" by Tommy Tenney. Moses was the only one in the crowd who sought God's face. And, his face glowed so much after he came back from one of their visits that he had to wear a scarf over his face because it was so bright. Wow, I want that!



It came time for Isaac to be weaned and Ishmael was scoffing the party and Sarah asked Abraham to get rid of them. God told Abraham it would be ok and that he would make Ishmael a great nation, so he gave her a skin of water and bread.




They ran out of water and she laid him under a bush because she didn't want to watch him die. She went a distance and sat down anGod cried. Ishmael cried out to God. God comes to Hagar, opens her eyes, to see a well! He be comes an archer and Hargar gets a wife for him from Egypt.







Abraham makes a covenant with Abimelech - Beersheba well.





Abraham confirms his faith - the sacrifice.

  He takes Isaac up the mountain for the sacrifice.  There is no sacrifice, so Abraham has to decide if he will sacrifice Isaac.

  At the last moment God tells Abraham to stop, that he has confirmed his faith.  There is a ram in the bushes for the sacrifice.

Sarah dies and is buried at Machpelah.

Isaac and Rebekah a true love story about how God orchestrates details of how we are brought together.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Genesis 18-21:7

Good morning, I have the crud today, but God is good, Thank you Jesus!  I had a miracle today, I woke up. 

   This is the terebinth tree where the Lord met Moses. 
This looks like a tree that is common in Oregon, and I put a photo of one that I took too.  Looks similar, huh. hmmmmm.
 now, my photo 

pretty close, huh

oh, well, on to Abraham!  Praise God.

The Lord appeared to Abraham, as he was sitting under the terebinth tree, three men appeared.  He knew it was the Lord. Praise God.  Anyway, he prepares a meal for them.  The Lord says that Sarah will have a son and she laughs within herself because she is 90.  Then she denies laughing because she is afraid of what the Lord would do, and He says, oh, but you did laugh. 


The Lord knows our thoughts and attitudes.....we need to submit our attitudes and thoughts to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord was then turning to leave to go to Sodom and Gomorrah to judge its sin.  Abraham bargained for those cities, that they not be destroyed if there were 50, 40, 30, 20, and finally 10 righteous souls.  The Lord said he would not destroy it, even if there were 10 righteous souls.

Two angels approach Lot who is sitting at the gate.  He invites them into his house.  The men and boys of the city want to "know them carnally" and try to break into Lot's house.  Lot offers them his two virgin daughters to do with as they please!  They want men!  So they press in closer to the house and the angels strike them blind.

The angels tell Lot to get his sons-in-law and his wife and daughters out of town because they are going to destroy it at sun-up.  The sons-in-law think Lot is joking and will not go with him.  The angels pull Lot and wife and daughters out and rain fire and brimstone down on the cities and they tell Lot's family to not look back and to hurry to Zoar (they wanted him to go the mountains but Lot asked for a closer place).  Lot's wife looked back and became a statue.

    Lot's wife - a natural rock formation on the edge of the Dead Sea.  Oh, yeah, that's how I want to be remembered!!! ---- NOT!

Ok, so now Lot and his daughters proceed to the mountains and they find a cave and the daughters get Lot drunk so they can have him father babies because there are no other men around.  I'm thinking God probably had other plans for that, but they took it upon themselves to help God out - something we should never do, help God out, can ya say YES AND AMEN to that!  Hallelujah.  Anyway, the descendants of these births are the Moabites and Ammonites.

Abraham and Abimelech - here we go again with Sarah calling herself Abraham's sister because he doesn't want to get killed.  God tells Abimelech in a dream the truth and Abimelech deals with them and convicts them of their sin and they go on their way.

Sarah conceives and Isaac is born! 
  







Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Genesis 15-17:27

Abram is childless, God tells him his seed will be as the stars in the sky, numberless.

    Abram believes God but he asks how he will know that it is true.  God tells him to prepare a sacrifice, then gives him a dream, then smokes the sacrifice to seal the deal. Wow.........

Then Sarai wants to help God out and presents Hagar to be a surrogate.  Then Hagar gets pregnant and Sarai hates her.  Isn't that the way we are!  Don't be trying to help God out!  He has a plan and will orchestrate things just fine!

Anyway, Ishmael is born and when God tells Abraham when he is 100 years old he and Sarah will have a child when she is 90, he falls on the ground laughing.  Don't be ridiculous God - well, God can do anything He wants, anytime.  He argues with God saying Ishmael will be the son and God says, nope, Sarah will have a son and call his name Isaac.

Notice that Abram and Sarai got the name change here.

Also, circumcision began at this time.

Genesis 11:1-26; 1 Chronicles 1:24-27; Genesis 11:27-31; Genesis 12-14:24

Tower of Babel - one language - seeking to touch the heavens with a tower, to see what they could build, not God.  God confused their language so they could not understand each other.


Tower of Babel destruction


Abram is born, takes Sarai as his wife, as they are traveling to Egypt, he tells Sarai to say she is Abram's sister so they will not kill him.  God tells them she is Abram's sister, and they "request him to leave" and they do not harm his belongings.  Lot is with them as well.

They divide their properties because they have much and their servants are not getting along.

God tells Abram of his destiny and has him look as far as he can to see how much will be his.  Abram builds an altar to God to sacrifice

Monday, January 3, 2011

Thoughts - the Flood

I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  I have asked Jesus to forgive me of my sin and I have turned away from sinning to serve Him.  I believe He wiped away all previous sin and I became white as snow.  As I go through each day, there are times when I make the wrong choices and the Holy Spirit convicts me of my sin and convinces me of righteousness, I believe that when I ask for forgiveness of intentional and unintentional sins that Jesus wipes the slate clean.  I believe He is there, always, with His hand out, waiting for me to grab and hold on.  Some days I wake up and clamp my arms firmly around His ankles and won't let go because my situation is desparate.  You know what?  He lets me!  Hallelujah! 

God the Father created us, each and every one, and He covets (hungers) for our fellowship, our laughter, our tears, our prayers, our praises, our fears.  He is our Real Father - Psalm 139 says it all - He knew the very number of hairs on your head (and how many you would finally end up with), He had a plan for your life, BEFORE you were conceived!  When I think of how he inhabits past, present, and future, WOWWWWWWWWWWW. 

Then I get bogged down in my problems, I have a Noah experience.  The sssssssssssssnake is always on the loosssssssssssssssse trying to get our focusssssssssss off the Creator. 

God Created Us, Jesus Died for Us, the Holy Spirit Guides Us!!!!!!!!!  


The flood - after the flood was over, Noah and his boys had the job of populating the earth.  So, there you have it, We are all descendants of Adam and Eve through Noah and the boys,
Shem, Japheth, and Ham. 

  Here they are.   This is all of them - the wives also.

So, while all this was going on, Noah starts a garden and a vineyard.  He gets a little too much of the new wine, and passes out in the buff.   Ham finds him and thinks it's funny and tells his older brothers.  Shem and Japheth got a blanket and backed into the tent to place it on Noah, in reverence to their father's authority, not to look on his shame.

Noah knows what Ham has done, and curses the nation he has created - Canaan - the sins of the fathers going on to the next generation.

Shem and Japheth receive the blessing of Canaan being their servant. 

Hmmm.  Curses of previous generations are haunting until the Power of Jesus Christ and authority over them through Him!

Oh that we would not bow to previous curses.  That, as believers we would rise to use the power in Jesus' Name to cast out curses!

Thoughts - Building the ark

It took Noah 120 years to build the ark. No one had ever seen rain so they saw no sense in him building something he said was going to float.





He preached to them the entire time he was building the ark. They chose to not listen because their hearts were wicked and full of sin

   When the ground started flooding and the ark started floating away, everyone wanted to get on board because they saw there was "no other way."  We all have our "no other way" moments when there is no other way but God's way.  Oh, that we would figure that out before we stepped over the edge.  Thank God, in His mercy and grace, He will put out that saving hand and retrieve us for yet another time, IF we cry out to Him, or someone is crying out to Him for us. 

Ever try to figure out why things happen?  Ha!  Good luck.  All I can say is, the providential Hand of God is on your life, He has a plan for you, you do have an appointed time, your soul is eternal, you do not die and then get planted in the ground - your body may be in the ground until the rapture happens but your soul is in eternity either in heaven or hell.

But God wants you here, to tell others about the need to repent, to turn away from your sin and to choose to serve God.  Jesus Christ died on the cross for you - if you were the only person on earth, He would have done that.  Know anyone else that loves you that much? 

Thoughts - Tree of knowledge of good and evil

I believe that the Bible was written by man (men), inspired by God. 

God the Father, God the Son (the Word), God the Holy Spirit - three in One creator of the universe ever expanding, we are in there, and that it's just us, and everything else is for us, not by us.  (no FUBU (for us by us) here!)

The tree of knowledge of good and evil - God told Adam and Eve they could eat freely of the trees of the garden, EXCEPT for the tree of knowledge. If they ate of that tree, they would die.  Ah, the sssssssssnake.  Always the ssssssssssnake.  Has God really saiddddddd.  Well, yessssssssss, he really didddddddddd.  Why does that EXCEPT word make everything shiny and new?  Gotta be careful of EXCEPT. 

 

Genesis 7-10:5; 1 Chronicles 1:5-7; Genesis 10:6-20; 1 Chronicles 1:8-16; Genesis 10:21-30; 1 Chronicles 1:17-23; Genesis 10:31-32

Today's Bible reading is on the flood, and God's covenant to never flood the earth again to destroy it, and He sealed it with the sign of the rainbow, so, every time I see a rainbow, I remember the covenant.

Every day I seek God's Presence, to be in His will, not looking for what He has done, but to be where He is, doing what He wants done.

   The animals going into the ark.  What the inside of the ark looked like.
 Noah's family
 Ark in the storm
 The raven and the dove
 Rainbow - God's covenant that He will never destroy the earth again by flood.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Genesis 4-5:32; 1 Chronicles 1:1-4; Genesis 6:1-22

Cain and Abel are born. Cain is a farmer, Abel has a flock of sheep. Cain offers some produce, Abel offers of his FIRST fruits.  Cain's offering is not accepted, Abel's is, and Cain kills Abel. 

God judges Cain and banishes him forever as a fugitive.  Cain's lineage.

Seth is born - at this time men begin to call on the name of the LORD.  Seth's lineage, among them, Methusaleh - 969 years!  Noah is born and God calls him to build the ark because he is going to destroy the wicked world.  He is sorry He created mankind because of the wickedness of hearts.


 

Genesis 1-3:24

Good morning, and a Happy New Year.  This Bible reading is about creation in six days. And the Spirit moved upon the waters.  And the first sin.